"We found an Imperial cruiser waiting just outside the nebula! Darth Vader had learned of my journey and dispatched a warship to discover the secret behind it. With our drive engines destroyed, I agreed to surrender our find."

Shortly after the theft, Tagge tortured the priest to force him to share his knowledge of the gems' deadly powers and learned that if they were separated, the gems would create the Crimson Forever. However, as they were leaving the Red Nebula, the Mining Explorer was attacked by an Imperial-class Star Destroyer dispatched by Darth Vader, whom had learned of Tagge's journey and wanted to discover the secret behind it.[1]

The Star Destroyer destroyed the Mining Explorer's drive engines, forcing Tagge to surrender her find. The Imperial boarding party received only one of the two gems, placed by Tagge in a carbonite cannister rigged to open under the pressures of hyperdrive. Tagge also gave the Imperials the location of the new Rebelbase on Golrath learned from her spies. Tagge then orchestrated a firefight between the bounty hunters and the stormtroopers, which forced the boarders to leave the Mining Explorer, effectively separating the two Great Life Jewels.[1]

Following the firefight, the Imperials abandoned the damaged Mining Explorer on the fringes of the Red Nebula. The Star Destroyer set a course for Golrath and jumped to hyperspace. As a result, the carbonite cannister holding the gem opened and the Crimson Forever spread aboard the ship. When the Star Destroyer arrived in the Golrath system, the entire crew had succumbed from the effects of the plague.[1]

Tagge's plan proceeded as she had intended. However, she did not anticipate that the dying priest would also release the second jewel still in her possession, thus spreading the Crimson Forever in the Mining Explorer. Tagge and the bounty hunters found themselves trapped in a section of the Mining Explorer uninfected by the Crimson Forever.[1]

Some time later, the Rebels found the empty Star Destroyer in the Golrath system and Luke Skywalker became infected with the plague. Fortunately, Han Solo and Chewbacca had previously encountered such red jewels during a previous misadventure in the Red Nebula. After hearing the Wookiee's tale of the event, Leia Organa, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca decided to travel to the Red Nebula aboard the Millennium Falcon in hopes of finding a cure for the Crimson Forever. On their way to the Red Nebula, they encountered the derelict Mining Explorer. After a short fight, they agreed to free Tagge and her companions in order to reunite the two Great Life Jewels and end the Crimson Forever.[1]